Principal
Mr Chris Grimmer
Sad News
Many of you may already be aware that we received some extremely sad news recently, with the passing of Jim Donnelly, one of our past colleagues, husband of Judy and father of Jenny (JD), our teaching colleagues and friends.
The funeral for Jim will be held next Monday, 15th May, and many of our staff members will be attending the funeral to pay their respects to Jim and support their colleagues, Judy and Jenny. This will mean that there will be a skeleton staff onsite to supervise those secondary students who are at school on Monday. An alternative program, with combined classes, will be running until session 4 (12.30pm) when staff will return from the service. Regular classes will then resume at 12.30pm.
Thank you for your support and understanding during this difficult time.
Building update
Since our last major newsletter the brickwork has been completed on the Science Centre. The external pepplecrete cladding has been removed on the stage 2 section of the main building and the internal spaces have been gutted in readiness for the refurbishment. The NBN connection has also been relocated and the server moved in preparation for the stage 3 demolition process. The current solar panel system was decommissioned on Wednesday 10th May and the new system fitted on the Thursday.
The wheel stops have been fitted to the Game Street carpark and a new path has been created between the Tech Building and the Textiles portable to enable our students with mobility issue to access this space with wheelchairs.
Open Night Success
Last Wednesday evening, our school hosted an Open Night for interested families of current Year 6 students who are considering options for Year 7 in 2024. We were pleased that so many families from many local primary schools took the time to visit and learn more about the great learning environment we provide for our students at Merbein P10 College.
I would like to thank staff for supporting the night’s activity and the many students who helped in the classrooms, presented or performed at the official presentation in the gym, or acted as hosts and guides.
Finally, I would like to thank parents and families who took the time to visit and find out more about our great school.
Student Attitude to School Surveys
These surveys are completed annually by all students from Year 4-10 in schools throughout Victoria. The results are tabulated and then compared with results from all the other schools in the state.
The 2023 surveys have been completed across our Year 4-6 this week and will be completed throughout the Year 7-10 over the next 3-4 weeks.
The surveys take approximately half an hour to complete and provide valuable information about how our students feel about their school, their learning and their connection with their peers.
Walk Safely to School Day
National Walk Safely to School Day is taking place on Friday 19th May. It would be great if students, where practicable, actively travel to school on this day. Active travel is a great way for kids to get in their recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activity.
Walk Safely to School Day asks that we all consider our transport habits and try to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around. Walking all the way to school isn’t realistic for many of us but it’s quite easy to figure out how you can build a walk into your family’s daily routine.
You can teach your child the healthy habit of walking more by:
• Walking with them the whole way to school
• If they get the bus, walk past your usual stop and get on at the next stop
• If you have to drive, park the car a few blocks away from the school and walk the rest of the way.
Regular exercise, like walking with your child not only helps them (and you!) beat chronic problems like obesity, heart disease, behavioural and mental health issues and diabetes. It also gives you a great opportunity to teach your child safe ways to behave around roads and traffic.
